Fees and student debt are main reasons that quarter of Brits don’t think it’s worth going to university

Research from Ipsos finds that a quarter (25%) of Britons, don’t think going to university is worth it for young people. The main reasons for this are fees (49%) and student loan debt (42%), but there is also a strength of feeling that people don’t need to go to university to get a good job (37%).

Nearly three quarters (73%) of the public site people from poorer backgrounds being put off university because of the cost as a concern and a similar proportion (72%) say students having high levels of financial debt is also a concern.

Ways of potentially addressing the issue of cost, may include fees and interest on student loans.  When asked about student loan interest, there is clearly support for keeping this low, or scrapping it all together, with 41% of people saying they think that student loans should be interest free, whilst a further 21% say they should be a lower interest rate than inflation.  A quarter of people say it should be in line (16%) or above (6%) the rate of inflation.  The current rates of interest range from 5.5% 7.1%.

The issue of fees is a more complex, with 22% of Britons saying the £9250 per year limit on university fees should be reduced, the same proportion 21% say that fees should be scrapped in favour of free university education, paid for by taxation.  Whilst 19% say they would favour replacing the current system, in favour of a graduate tax that would be paid by graduates after graduating.  One in 10 (11%) think that fees should stay as they are and 6% think current fees should be increased.

Technical Note

Ipsos surveyed a representative sample of 2221 British adults aged 18+, conducted online between 26-30 May 2023. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.